Pharmaceutical Care Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Turkey: Proposal of a Holistic Approach

Abstract

Community pharmacists, who are among the primary healthcare service providers, are regarded as the closest and most accessible healthcare professionals. Unfortunately, patient counseling, one of the most important pharmacy profession tasks, cannot be performed in exceptional cases, which can endanger patient safety. The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic process we are facing today is an example of these particular situations in Turkey. Partial curfews imposed within the scope of COVID-19 pandemic measures have also increased problems. Therefore, there is a need for a pharmaceutical care service network that will enable individuals who do not have access to pharmacies, who are in risk groups, or whose mobility is restricted due to pandemic or disaster, to reach their prescribed medicines safely under pharmacist consultancy. In this regard, establishing a pharmaceutical care service network on a scientific and systematic basis may solve the current problems, mostly encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. Designing a network within the framework of vehicle routing and assignment problems is important in ensuring patients' rapid access to prescribed medications and preventing unfair competition among pharmacies.

Keywords

• covid-19
• community pharmacists
• telehealth